Woman arrested 10 years ago mails the Deputy ‘thank you’ notes every year for a special reason
'I never want to be in a place in my life that I can't show up here on December 5,' Slavens said.
When they say some things happen for a reason, destiny really means it. Sometimes a bad or fateful happening makes us feel like we’re doomed, but it’s only the budding ground for something amazing. A woman named Kimberly Slavens experienced something similar when she was arrested by Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Brett Lee 10 years ago, on December 5, per WCPO. When she failed her sobriety test, it felt like a disaster, but something beautiful must have followed because ever since, Slavens has been personally thanking Lee every December 5.
A previous report detailed the encounter the duo had a decade ago. Slavens was a high-functioning alcoholic, and downing vodka had become her new normal. She was not in a great state but would somehow make her way home, sometimes drunk, sometimes half-sober. On December 5, 2015, the woman had a similar plan. She drank herself out, napped at the bar, and hoped to drunkenly drive home. As she was driving, Lee had her pull over. "I could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle," he said. He conducted a sobriety test, and Slavens’ alcohol content was 0.10. The Ohio rules state a maximum of 0.8, and so the patrolling officer arrested her.
When the woman had to call her mom to get her, she had a conversation that stopped her in her tracks. “She asked me, ‘You know, I just asked you if you’d been drinking.’ And I’m like, ‘I know, mom. I lied. I have a problem.’ That’s the first time I admitted it. That was the moment. That’s it,” she remarked. The simple act of saying it out loud and acknowledging it herself was the only thing she needed. It was the simplest yet most challenging thing to do, and thanks to Lee, she had to come to terms with it. From thereon, she realized she needed help and went into rehab. She worked on herself, and a year later, on the same day, she arrived at Lee’s doorstep with a thank-you note.
He initially wondered who might have left the note, but when he read the contents, it was clear as day. It read, “Had you not arrested me that night, I would have continued on the path I was on and more than likely not be here today.” That’s how this tradition began. Each year, Slavens embraces how grateful she is to have overcome her addiction and how much she can witness because of it. Lee, in return, has forged a friendship, standing as a strong support system through the ups and downs of her fight. "When I've been struggling and just been like, 'Dude, I don't know if I can do this anymore,' he's like, 'You can, you've got this. We're in this together,” she recounted.
In 2025’s card, she wrote, "This year, I was able to see the promises they talked about in recovery. I was able to see my son get married, and I was able to buy a house. All of these are because of sobriety, and that night, 12/5/15, is where my journey started with you. Thank you for all your continued support.” This year, Lee arranged for Slavens to receive a service medallion in the presence of 170 patrol troopers.
Thanks to her simple, consistent, and heartfelt act, Lee cannot be more convinced of how much his work matters. He looks forward to Slavens’ note every year. “For her to come in really puts a light on what we do. And that 'thank you' really hits hard in our hearts, especially this one... it's very rare that somebody comes in that we arrested and thanks us,” he remarked. As for Slavens, the arrest and that bond are the reasons she keeps going. “I never want to be in a place in my life that I can't show up here on December 5,” she said.
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